Simeon Brody
It was my birthday yesterday and after the York Green Festival planning meeting that I chaired, some of us went to the pub. I hardly ever do this anymore so it was a bit of a treat. And the experience reminded me why it is so popular... you can have conversations with people you've never met as well as old friends, and the alcohol (if that's what you're partaking of) loosens the tongue somewhat, so the talk flows and ebbs and goes off at tangents... excellent!
One of last night's conversations was about newspapers and
journalists, and I was aware that with this blog (and associated
column) I too could be regarded as a journalist, so as I was listening,
I was thinking about whether some of the comments could be applied to
me.
Someone was enthusing about Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe and saying how he effectively deconstructed television and some of the inane programmes that are made and broadcast. So, this morning, I watched, randomly, this YouTube clip of the programme which happened to be about spiritualist mediums and gullability. Which was interesting as one of the other conversations was about when journalists pick something up on a blog or Wikipedia, and believe it to be true, and then have to retract that info as it isn't, such as in Ronnie Hazlehurst's orbituary. Here, some journalists fell for a scam that was posted onto Wikipedia, saying that the composer responsible for some of the best known sitcom theme tunes had also co-written a song for S Club 7. (see 'The Register')
Wikipedia is great, but only if you check the information from several sources, especially the original journals etc which are often listed at the bottom of the page. But this takes time and effort, and many journalists don't have the time to do this, many are not paid enough to really care that much and do the job professionally.
What happened to having experts writing about their subject? This is one possible answer to the problem of having to look stuff up specially, and, working to a deadline, copying and pasting the first 'fact' you come across is quick, easy, and prone to errors. I'm delighted that Community Care has been employing me since spring 2007, as their 'green and ethical' specialist, and have published my 'take' on a wide variety of subjects, many of which I've had to research for hours. But all good things must come to an end, and later this summer, I will cease to be a columnist and blogger for Community Care. I have mixed feelings about this... it has been a joy to be able to tell you all about things which I think are important, and the cheque after each column has been most welcome. But it has been very time consuming and hard work. Each blog takes between 1 and 4 hours, and I'm glad that I've been given the flexibility to not have a blog deadline, and haven't been censured for missing the occasional week!
I'd like to remind readers, as if you need it, that looking after your own mental health is really important. So my 'Green and Healthy' tip of the week is to give yourself some time off, some 'me time'. This could be as simple as a walk in the country or a couple of hours pottering about in the garden (with your phone switched off!), or perhaps a good ol' social down at the local, remembering to be moderate with your consumption, and free with your conversation.
Have a good Bank Holiday.
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